Quit Smoking

I started smoking, I guess, eight or nine years ago. For the initial four or five years it was more or less like two or three cigarettes a year, so I wasn’t a smoker then by any standard. :o) However, I really started smoking nearly three years ago.

I have been on and off at it. I quit smoking for a couple of months a couple of times in these three years. The longest period was around six months. I was very convinced that I’d never smoke again until one day, in late 2009, when a friend of mine asked me to accompany him to the smoking area (Anna shop next to Infosys Mangalore DC). Unfortunately, I couldn’t refuse when he offered me a cigarette. After that there was no looking back, I had on an average one a day!

Every time I used to smoke, I used to convince myself that it would be the last one and the very next day I’d tell to myself, ‘I will just have one more and then I will never touch one again!’ The just-one-more feeling is the worst enemy; it never goes away!

I have made promises to quit smoking quite a few times, but somehow I end up breaking the promises. I have realised that trying to quit just because I have made a promise to someone is not going to work. It will help, but it is not sufficient. If something goes wrong between us or if that person hurts me, it will be like, ‘fuck the promise, I don’t give a damn!’  If I have to quit, it must come from within.

I had been thinking about it for sometime now. I chose a date to quit smoking. I decided that April 4th, 2010 (Easter as well!) would be the last day. I did have a smoke today and as soon as I put it down, I noted down the time. It was April 4th, 2010 01:11:20 PM IST - the last time I ever had a cigarette. EVER.

Bonus: To celebrate this event and to let everyone know, I have created a count-up timer (it is on my homepage as well)